Related Products

Details

Product # 077846

Type PDF eBook

ISBN 978-1-60085-341-8

Published Date 2010

Pages 145

A must-have for beginning users SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers is a comprehensive step-by-step manual to help furniture makers master Google's powerful 3-D computer-based drawing program. It's an essential guide for woodworkers who are new to SketchUp or users who want to improve their skills and results.

“...this resource just gets better and better...”

An essential tool for every furniture maker

With SketchUp, the amateur or professional woodworker can build scaled 3-D models of projects and work out all the details – dimensions, joinery, design features, and more – and produce full-size drawings or templates.

Unlock the potential When you've mastered SketchUp, you'll open up a world of possibilities. And with SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers eBook, you'll instantly have the keys to success in your hands.

“...very helpful, logical, and progressive. I’d recommend it to anyone...”

About the Author Tim Killen is author of the popular SketchUp blog Design.Click.Build. on FineWoodworking.com. He is a retired Bechtel Corporation executive who worked in engineering and IT management. Killen grew up among woodworking machinery in Centerville, Ohio, where both his father and grandfather had woodshops. He specializes in 18th century reproduction furniture. Killen has been using SketchUp for several years and builds all his furniture on the computer first, before setting foot in the shop. He also teaches SketchUp at local colleges.

Table of Contents

Introduction

How to Set Up SketchUp for Woodworking

The Modeling Environment and Toolbars

How to Use Basic SketchUp Tools

Learn to Draw Precisely

How to Make, Move, Copy, Edit, and Connect Components

Create Your First SketchUp Model

How to Design and Construct Joints

How to Begin and Develop a Piece of Furniture

More Tools and Functions

How to Use Photographs and Scanned Images

Advanced Modeling Techniques

Advanced Detail Modeling Using the Intersect Command

How to Add Color and Texture to Your Model

How to Create an Effective Package of Shop Drawings

Printing Full-Size Templates and Other Scenes

Introduction

For years I’ve wanted to draw my furniture plans in full-size three-dimensional (3D) models. I dreamed of “building” the furniture on the computer as if I were in the shop, shaping each spindle, board, and panel and assembling them into a finished product. Existing two-dimensional (2D) computer-aided design (CAD) systems were okay, but they didn’t let me view the project from any angle or check its integrity as it developed. I wanted a design program that gave me exploded views of assemblies, perspective color images, and the ability to ensure that complex joints fit together properly.

Finally, I found what I wanted—Google SketchUp. I’ve been using this program since 2005 and will never go back to 2D CAD, nor will I enter the shop without first creating a piece in SketchUp.

SketchUp opens up drawing capabilities once available only to professional designers and illustrators using esoteric, expensive CAD systems. Now you can create virtual furniture, using SketchUp to create each piece of wood and hardware, complete with every joint detail. You can view and check every aspect of the furniture with SketchUp’s array of viewing options, including easily created exploded and X-Ray views. With SketchUp, you can design furniture full of complex shapes and angles, such as a Windsor chair or a Chippendale lowboy with cabriole legs. Once you have all the components detailed in the model, you can use SketchUp to generate full-size templates for the shop. That makes construction much simpler, faster, and more accurate, with less reworking and fewer delays to sort out discrepancies. You also gain a better understanding of construction details, which pays off when you tackle the real project in the shop.

SketchUp’s price is right—free. The no-cost download has all the features you need to produce the most complex woodworking projects and comprehensive shop drawings. A Pro version, priced at $495, includes capabilities and features for importing and exporting files to and from various CAD formats, adding information to models, and producing documents exported in the Adobe PDF format.

Most of the books and tutorials I’ve seen are designed to help architects, landscape designers, and builders master SketchUp. They aren’t always well suited to woodworkers, who use SketchUp in unique ways. That’s why I’ve created this book for professional and hobbyist cabinetmakers, furniture-builders, and designers as well as woodworking teachers.

Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

1 to 10 of 10

Show
per page

Sort By

Very good introduction Review by Steve

Rating

Having tried to learn to use SketchUp on my own a few years ago I appreciate the detailed and measured (no pun intended) approach of this book. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that (so far, up to the end of chapter 9) I've caught two errors. Nothing that gave me any trouble, really, but caused me a bit of confusion for a few minutes.

(Posted on 2/4/14)

Well written, thorough, effective. Review by Martin

Rating

The title sums it up well. Having formerly taught high school woodworking for 14 years, I wish this had been available to me then. This book effectively guides you through the software. The explanations are clear, the information is in manageable portions, the sequence is intelligent, and you can get going on your own projects quite quickly.

(Posted on 11/19/13)

Excellant guide Review by John

Rating

Within a couple of days I was able to design a deck and print the plans due to this ebook. I highly recommend this to learn this program. Sketchup is the best design program in my estimation.

(Posted on 6/3/13)

This book is brilliant, especially as an ebook. Review by Christopher

Rating

I have been messing about with wood for years, and have tried to use CAD a couple of times in the past decade and have fallen, if not at the first fence, then certainly long before I produced anything useful.

Within a week of buying this ebook I had finished the first couple of exercises, and within a couple of weeks I had designed a set of storage units for my study. The facility to switch from Sketchup to the ereader and back means that you can flip from one to the other quickly while working your way through the exercises. The sense of achievement I got from producing the design for a small table was terrific.

I can see that there is a lot more that could be done with Sketchup, but this book should get you going well enough to design most of what you have already managed non-electronically, and prepare you for progress to more exalted levels of achievement.

(Posted on 4/10/13)

Good product Review by Phillip

Rating

Easy download. Well worth the price. Good product for the woodworker.

(Posted on 6/1/12)

Excellent Source for Woodworkers Review by Joe

Rating

You'll be creating virtual models or your workpieces in only a few short hours after acquainting yourself to this book. SketchUp is a phenomenal tool for woodworkers - not only does it show you exactly how your workpiece will look, but it gives you the precise measurements you'll need before starting any project. This book will show you how to get the most out of your models/drawings. Highly recommended.

(Posted on 2/9/12)

Good over all book Review by Jonathan

Rating

The book does a great job covering the basics and mid level aspects of Sketch-up. I would love to see Tim write an advanced version covering topics such as complex contours found in a Bombe Chest and in designing chairs. Many of these topics have been partially covered in the blog and it would be great if they could be consolidated into a book.

(Posted on 1/9/12)

Good over all book Review by Jonathan

Rating

The book does a great job covering the basics. My wish is that someone could creat a book that is more focused on advanced users. The areas that are wanting are: dealing with complex extrusions such as the contours on a Bombe Chest or complex geometries encountered in chair design.

(Posted on 1/9/12)

Paid for itself in the first Two Chapters Review by Bart

Rating

I had installed Sketchup a year ago and even though I am very familiar with drafting it frustrated me to to the point that I uninstalled it the next week and went back to large sheets of graph paper and several erasers.

When I downloaded Tim's eBook within an hour I was re-drawing a TV and Entertainment center, and in the process discovered several potential mistakes I might have made had I followed my hand drawings.

This book makes the setup and use so easy for woodworking and so understandable, that I was also easily able to use it to setup drawings for my odd shaped office and then set about designing built-ins for it. I use Sketchup, however briefly, almost daily now.

(Posted on 12/2/11)

Great Value Review by Douglas

Rating

I really felt this book helped me a lot, Systematically going thru the exercises built on one another I was able to get a much better grasp of the potential of the tools and Sketchup in general.
I did find the writing a bit convoluted making clarity for a beginner a bit of a challenge. As Sketchup can be frustrating at times more clarity would have made the learning experience much less frustrating. That one criticism aside I would highly recommend this book.
Another thing to consider when you buy this book in a PDF format as I did. You are really buying the book not just a license to read it. It is yours I applaud Taunton press and Tim Killen